Sake made with two ingredients Carajillo Coffee’s origins can be traced back to 19th century Spain and its roots in the morning rituals of Andalusia and even to the haciendas of Cuba, where people would drink alcoholic coffee to get through or end the day, typically made with brandy or rum.
But despite its long history, the carajillo was virtually unknown in Mexico outside of Spanish immigrants. “Fifteen years ago, I would have to explain to bartenders what a carajillo was and how to make it,” recalls Carlos Faher, a Mexico City-based hospitality executive. “It was seen as an older person’s drink. Today, thanks to La Sobremesa, it’s one of the most popular orders in the city.”
A Mexican tradition, sobremesa is an after-dinner get-together over coffee or a digestif, and carajillo is, conveniently, a blend of the two. Today, espresso replaces coffee, and the spirit of choice is Licor 43, a sweet, golden Spanish liqueur.
“This is the easiest drink to make,” said Mexico City’s Scarringoperates as a coffee shop by day and a popular local bar by night. Its simplicity has led to many variations of the drink, which has appeared on bar menus across the city. Fagell says there are variations ranging from marzipan (a Mexican sweet made with almond flour) to lompope (Mexican eggnog). Lindeman, meanwhile, keeps it simple: brandy, cream and a shot of espresso. He’s been offering his version as an off-menu order for almost seven years.
But when Lindemann finally added the classic dish to Cicatrice’s menu this spring, it contained none of the original ingredients.
Latest version Swap the espresso for cold brew concentrate, ditch the brandy and skip the cream, replacing it with reposado tequila, resulting in a rich, chocolatey drink served in a coupe with a squeeze of orange peel. Lindemann ran Carajillo through five iterations before arriving at his specifications. The updated version is meant to give you a burst of energy and kick-start your evening, rather than the indulgent (and languid) sip that often accompanies traditional carajillo. Often served in an oversized glass packed with ice, drinking it becomes an activity in itself.
Lindemann To incorporate spirits native to Mexico, he decided to add Reposado tequila. For him, it was important to use responsibly sourced agave spirits. “Mass-marketed tequila is a very unsustainable product, with terrible practices like diffusers and underripe agave,” he says. Lindeman prefers to use Cascahuín tequila for his Carajillo. “They make a lot of interesting products and experiment with the fermentation process. It was important to us to work with a tequila brand that is serious about sustainability.”
The tequila brings out a spicy, peppery flavor in the cocktail, resulting in a drier, more complex flavor for the classic, but perhaps the most significant change from Lindemann’s original recipe is the bar’s switch from espresso to cold brew.
“Making espresso is quite labor intensive. [to] Go to [espresso] “We use machines with timers,” he says. “When we’re really busy, we sometimes make too much or too little, which creates a lot of variation in the quality of the espresso.” Using cold brew concentrate, on the other hand, allows for a more consistent service.
“Our products are the best [carajillos]”There aren’t a lot of places that really care about coffee and cocktails,” says Lindemann. Lindemann founded Cicatriz with his sister Scarlett and initially intended to just run a coffee shop, but they’ve since outgrown their original plans to add evening bar service to meet the demand of the neighborhood.
Cicatrice sources its coffee beans from small, independent roasters in Mexico. Cicatrice’s menu features a variety of beans with sweet and balanced flavors. Currently offered are: Polvora.
To finish off the drink, the mix is mixed with a dash of Kahlua and balanced with salt water. Cicatrice’s bartenders put the concoction together in advance, and when they’re ready to serve it, they shake it with ice, strain it, and serve it in a coupe glass.
In recent years, Carajillo’s popularity has exploded in Mexico City. In the United States Adriana Zermeno, a hospitality executive from Mexico City, has a simple explanation for the increase: “We are cafeteros. We are coffee lovers.”
That’s why Cicatriz, a coffee shop turned neighborhood bar, is uniquely qualified to reinvent the drink.Still, the bar recognizes that some customers will want the classic sobremesa style.
“T“Some people try our stuff and don’t really like it because they want something really classic,” Lindemann said, fulfilling the request: “And we offer that, too. We give the people what they want.”
